by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies are expected to acquire shooting guard Courtney Lee from the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Jerryd Bayless, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

There may ultimately be draft picks involved in the deal, but it is likely to be completed on Monday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized.

The Grizzlies, who used the remaining value of a trade exception acquired as part of last year's Rudy Gay trade with the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to make this deal, see Lee as an upgrade for their offense that was badly in need of outside shooting and athleticism. It's yet another sign that Memphis (15-18) is looking to remain competitive while waiting for center Marc Gasol (sprained knee ligament) to return rather than rebuilding. Lee comes at the combined cost of $11 million for this season and next while Bayless has an expiring contract worth $3.1 million.

Lee is averaging 7.4 points (49.2% shooting overall, 44.2% from three-point range) and 16.8 minutes in 30 games this season. He is a former client and favorite of Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and director of player personnel Stu Lash. The trade exception was a factor in this decision, as it was set to expire at the end of this month and Memphis wanted to utilize it rather than having it be wasted.

Bayless also is in his sixth year and has averaged 8.0 points and 1.9 assists a game for the Grizzlies but shot poorly (37.5% from the field, 28.8% on threes) after helping the team reach the Western Conference finals last season. He can play either guard spot, similar to current Celtics Jordan Crawford and Avery Bradley.

ESPN first reported the agreement between the Grizzlies and the Celtics.